Justice News

Fort Dodge Man Sentenced to Federal Prison

Possessed Firearms While Distributing Cocaine

A man who possessed firearms while distributing cocaine was sentenced July 3, 2018, to 10 years in federal prison.

Jovon Naylor, 27, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 25, 2018, guilty plea to conspiring to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and illegal possession of a firearm.

At the plea hearing, Naylor admitted to conspiring to distribute cocaine in the Fort Dodge area from 2016 through September 2016. Naylor was involved in a number of controlled purchases of cocaine with law enforcement. Naylor also admitted that when he distributed cocaine he possessed firearms during the drug deals. Drug dealers typically carry firearms for protection of their drugs and drug proceeds. Naylor further admitted to previously being convicted of possession of a firearm or offense weapon by a felon in the Iowa District Court for Webster County on April 13, 2012. Federal law prohibits persons previously convicted of a felony from possessing firearms.

Naylor was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Naylor was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Naylor is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mikala M. Steenholdt and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Fort Dodge Police Department, DCI Criminalistics Laboratory, and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.